Rosa's fifth month - Halloween, the election, and the baptism

Rosa's fifth month was a big one - full of more events than the first four together!  For her first Halloween, Rosa was a bunny - the cutest bunny ever! Mommy's costume was easy then - a mama bunny. And Daddy? A cowboy. Daddy didn't want to be a bunny. Halloween in the city isn't quite like in the suburbs... kids go around to neighborhood stores trick-or-treating during the afternoon, but they don't go to the apartments in the evening; the evening is more of a crazy grown-up holiday. So I had a costume all ready for her, but didn't really have an event for her to wear it to. So when Jeff got home from work, we went out for burritos in our costumes, and just walking up and down Valencia to the Taqueria was a costume party in and of itself! Rosa stayed out that night a little later than I wanted, but hey, it was her first Halloween, and you've got to live a little.

Just five days later, on the most historic election day our country has ever witnessed, when Jeff got home from work, we all went out to a neighborhood bar where we crowded around the door and peered in to see McCain's and Obama's speeches on a big TV. Unlike the couple with the 2-week old baby next to us, Rosa, ever "the alert baby," did not sleep. Rosa stayed out that night a little later than I wanted, but hey, it was a truly historic event, and we all wanted to be part of it. Hours after Rosa went to bed, the parties in the streets and honkings and celebrating continued. Jeff went out zipping around the neighborhood on his bike; Rosa and I were awakened by a marching band marching and playing down our street.

Six days later it was my birthday, and the three of us had our first dinner out in a nearby restaurant. We timed it so that Jeff ordered for both of us and Rosa and I arrived when the food did. She did great! Rosa stayed out that night a little later... you get the picture.

And then just three days after my birthday, we took the plunge and took our first flight with Rosa, all the way across the country including a layover! I was stressing over this for weeks beforehand. Everyone said to nurse her for takeoff and landing, but what about the 5 hours in the middle, not to mention the layover and the second flight! To make a long story short, Rosa exceeded even my wildest dreams of how good she could be. She nursed and fell asleep instantly on takeoff and slept for THREE HOURS! Then she sat on my lap and smiled at the flight attendants for the next 2 until we landed. I couldn't believe it. There must have been 20 people telling me she was the best baby on a plane they had ever seen. I was so thankful!

But enough about the flight. The reason we were flying was to go to Cleveland for Rosa's baptism at my family's church. The baptism was the very next day after we flew. Again, with the 3 hours time change and sleeping in a new place, I was a little anxious imagining how Rosa would handle being stripped naked and dunked in a big metal tub. But she loved it! I knew she enjoyed her baths at home, and it must have seemed like a big public bath to her because she just blinked and smiled when the (warmed) water was splashed over her head. I think she was the first baby I've ever seen not cry. Auntie Kira was her godmother and Uncle Greg was godfather, and both did a great job keeping her calm through the service. After the baptism, we had a big party, and Rosa was the little star of the show! She got to meet lots of friends and family, including meeting Grandma Judy for the first time.

After the baptism, Jeff headed back to San Francisco, but Rosa and I stayed with Grandma Lois and Grandpa Mike in Ohio until the day before Thanksgiving, when we went to Pennsylvania to have Thanksgiving with the Judy's family (more on that in the next posting!). In Ohio Rosa got to experience snow, sing songs with Auntie Kira, eat breakfast with Grandpa Mike, and celebrate her five month birthday - more cupcakes!